Hadrian Romanoff and the Beginning

Chapter-16

Hadrian slowly came to awareness. He kept his eyes closed, feeling out with his other senses to try to figure out where he was.

He was laying on a soft, but firm mattress, his head elevated by pillows that reminded him of the kind his Uncle Bruce used. There was a faint humming in his ears, the kind he only heard when there was no other sound wherever he was. Knowing that he was at Hogwarts, the Hospital Wing most likely, he guessed that someone had done a spell so he couldn't hear anything.

Deciding that sooner or later someone would check on him and realize he was awake, Hadrian allowed his eyes to flutter open. The hurtful bright of the room confirmed his suspicions about being in the infirmary. He glanced around and saw Lisa and Neville sound asleep on the bed next to his, Lisa cuddled into Neville's side and Neville's mouth open, a bit of drool collecting in the corner of his mouth. Terry was knocked out in a large sitting chair next to Hadrian's bed, curled up into a ball and looking quite small for a boy his height.

Hadrian spotted Madam Pomfrey fretting about something to his Head of House and nearly smiled at the familiar worry of medical staff.

"Hello? Professor Snape? Madam Pomfrey?" Hadrian called out to get their attention. When they didn't show any sign of hearing him, he started waving his hand in the air to catch their attention.

Snape noticed him first. With a flick of the man's wand sound returned to Hadrian and the first thing he heard was Neville's snoring.

"Mr. Romanoff," Snape's baritone brought Hadrian's attention to him.

"What happened?" Hadrian's throat felt scratchy and he reached for the glass of water on the night stand.

Before Snape could answer, Pomfrey was at Hadrian's side, her wand waving through the air. Hadrian tensed slightly, but managed to relax once he saw it was just the school healer. "Hadrian, how are you feeling?"

Hadrian held up his left arm and moved it in a circular motion. He winced slightly when the movement made his shoulder ache. "It feels like I pulled something, but other than that it feels just fine."

Pomfrey nodded. "Yes, well, because your mother doesn't have a magical core I could only give her so many healing potions for her shoulder and I didn't want to spell another pain reliever into your stomach without you being concious. Would you like one now?"

"No, it's fine." Hadrian shook his head then regretted it when it sent a wave of lightheadness through him. "It'll go away soon, and if it doesn't I'll come to you or Professor Snape for that potion."

Pomfrey hummed in answer, not surprised at the answer. Muggleborns tended to be wary about magical healing, and even after they got used to the idea, shied away from them because of the taste. Though one muggleborn wizard had once commented on the fact that at least potions didn't lie about being cherry, something she still didn't understand.

"Wait," Hadrian pushed himself up onto his elbows carefully, thankful that he didn't feel lightheaded anymore. "What do you mean about my mom? Is she okay? What's going on?" He asked frantically, looking between Pomfrey and Snape.

"Mister Romanoff, calm down and we'll explain." Snape ordered. His harsh voice cut through Hadrian's panic and the green eyed boy settled back into his bed. "Now, from your mother's told us, you formed a magical bond with when you were young after an incident that frightened you."

Hadrian found himself nodding at the half-truth. He wasn't sure what they thought brought about the bond, but he doubted that they were any where close to the truth.

"It seems that through this bond, you and mother can share injuries when they meet a certain criteria. At least that's what we've managed to learn in the time that we had." Pomfrey continued. "Not every injury is shared between the two of you, as we were told that you've broken your arm before and your mother's arm remained unharmed."